Promises
by LoriLynn1
Summary: In exchange for helping him with his homework, Akane makes Ranma promise her to lay off the insults for a whole week. Can Ranma handle it? Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Ranma ½. though I really wish I did.  
  
A/N: This is my first Ranma story on FF.net. hope everyone likes it. Please Read and Review!! I hope to update very soon!  
  
Promises Chapter 1  
  
Akane closed her bedroom door, locked it, and then went straight to her desk. There was a big test tomorrow, and she wasn't going to let Ranma goad her into helping him study. Before she even sat down, she locked her windows and pulled the drapes so that Ranma wouldn't have a chance of sneaking in underneath her nose.  
  
She had barely opened her books when there was a soft tap on the door.  
  
"Akane. oh, Akane."  
  
Akane squeezed her pencil so tightly that it snapped in half. Who would have guessed that Ranma would try to get in through an ordinary door? "What do you want?" she said through clenched teeth.  
  
"Can I come in for a second? Please?"  
  
"No! Not until you tell me what it is you want!"  
  
"To see you," Ranma replied, his voice growing softer. "C'mon, Akane. let me in."  
  
Akane looked up from her books, her cheeks feeling warm. Was Ranma actually being nice to her for a change?  
  
"Please, Akane?" he went on. "If you let me in, I'll give you a present."  
  
She stood up and went to the door. "Ranma," she said, putting her hand on the cool doorknob. "You promise you don't wanna study?"  
  
"Oh, please," he said, and she could almost picture the smile on his face. "I did that last night."  
  
Akane sighed, but opened the door anyway. Ranma immediately shoved a stack of books into her arms and pushed his way around her.  
  
"Gotcha!" he said. "There's your present. Now will you please help me with my homework? Please!?"  
  
Akane found it difficult to breath through her anger. She dropped his books to the floor as he stared at her, waiting for a response. "Ranma." she growled.  
  
"Those are on loan, you know," he grumbled, bending over to gather them back up into his arms.  
  
She moved to slap him across the face, but he managed to grab her wrist while he balanced the books in his other hand.  
  
"C'mon, Akane. please?"  
  
The twisted grin on his face was so pathetic, that she almost gave in. Instead, she pulled her arm away from his grasp. "If you would just learn to study on your own, then maybe I could get some of my own studying done."  
  
"But you're so much smarter than I am."  
  
Wow, he was really laying it on thick. "You're only saying that because you need my help. Any other time you'd be telling me how stupid I am."  
  
"You are stupid," Ranma said as he flopped down on her bed, setting his books next to himself. "Just not when it comes to studying. Everything else, though."  
  
Akane balled her fists and turned to glare at him. "If you really want my help, then you'll stop insulting me!" she yelled. "And get off my bed, you pervert!"  
  
Ranma didn't even flinch; he only fell back until his head hit the pillow. "Okay, so you're not stupid," he admitted halfheartedly. "Just a little slow sometimes. But who can blame you? I mean, when you try and wear all those girly clothes, they can slow you down. Now, if only you'd stick to your workout outfit, then you'd be all set."  
  
Akane didn't even bother to glance down at the yellow dress she wore that day. She only stomped over to her bed and narrowed her eyes at him. "You idiot. There's no way I'm helping you, now. Get off my bed and out of my room before I punch a hole through your head!" Her voice rose at the end, and Ranma, who sat up and scooted to the other side of the bed, was obviously starting to take her threats more seriously.  
  
"Okay, okay." he said, holding his hands up in defense. "I'll shut up, just please, Akane, you've gotta help me study. I don't even know where to start."  
  
She folded her arms across her chest and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Hmph. Why should I help you when all you ever are is mean to me?"  
  
Ranma climbed back across the bed and hung his legs over the side. "I'm not always mean to you," he mumbled. "I mean, sure, I tease you a lot, but."  
  
Akane blinked at him. "Yes, Ranma?"  
  
"But sometimes you deserve it, right?"  
  
Akane raised her hand, and this time she really did slap him across the face.  
  
Ranma rubbed his sore cheek. "Hmm. I'll take that as a no."  
  
It was quiet for a moment, and Akane was about to turn to him and tell him to get out again, but Ranma opened his mouth and beat her to the chase.  
  
"What can I do to make it up to you?" he wanted to know. "I'll do anything."  
  
Akane's eyes widened. "Anything?"  
  
"Whoa, okay.," Ranma said, averting his eyes from hers. "Maybe I should take that back. I'll do anything within reason."  
  
"Within your reason!" she shot back at him, but before she could say anything else, he grabbed her arm and pulled her down beside him.  
  
"Sit down," he said. "You're making me nervous. You know, if you would just stop arguing and help me with my homework, then we could both be done by now."  
  
Akane pushed him away. "I would be done if you weren't in here bothering me about helping you. Maybe if you could just sit still for more than two seconds you'd be able to study on your own."  
  
He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. "Please, Akane?" he said, his eyes big.  
  
"No," she said, pushing him away once again and turning her back on him. "Tell me what you'll do for me and then maybe. maybe I'll consider helping you."  
  
"Hmm," she heard him ponder. "Well. I'll take you out for ice cream after school tomorrow. And I won't make you pay."  
  
Akane rolled her eyes. "Not good enough."  
  
"Okay," he said. "I'll take out for ice cream tomorrow, and I. I won't look at your answers during the test tomorrow!"  
  
She spun around to glare at him. "You were planning on looking at my answers!?" she exclaimed, and then pointed to the door. "Get out, Ranma. I'm not helping you!"  
  
"I was kidding!" he grinned, holding up his hands. "What I meant to say was that I would. um. buy you a present!"  
  
"Yeah, right," she scoffed. "You never buy me anything, and you don't even have any money. I'm not falling for that one."  
  
"Okay," Ranma said as he looked forward and continued to ponder. "So, maybe I don't have any money. but maybe after we go out for ice cream, we can come back to the dojo, and I'll train with you."  
  
"No way," Akane shook her head. "You never fight for real. Training with you is pointless."  
  
"C'mon, Akane," he groaned, falling back on the bed. "I'm running out of ideas here."  
  
Akane turned and smiled at him. "I know what you can do," she said.  
  
Ranma turned red as he scooted away from her. What did he think she was going to say, anyway?  
  
"You can promise not to insult me for an entire week. And each time you slip, you have to be nice to me for an extra day."  
  
Ranma quickly sat up. "Are you kidding, Akane? You take everything as an insult! You're the most sensitive girl I know!"  
  
"But don't you always call me a tomboy?!"  
  
"That's different," he mumbled.  
  
Akane took hold of his sleeve and pulled him closer. "Do you promise or not?" she asked, feeling a smirk creeping into her expression.  
  
For a moment, Ranma only stared at her blinking, but then he took a deep breath and opened his mouth. "Fine," he said. "I promise, but you're not getting ice cream, too. Your figure could surely go without it."  
  
Akane pushed him away. "That's for eight days," she growled, "that you have to be nice and not insult me."  
  
Ranma's eyes widened. "Eight!? I thought you said a week!"  
  
"You insulted me," she pointed out, "so now it's eight. Next time you'll think before you say anything. And yes, you will be taking me out for ice cream after school tomorrow." She stood up, noticing that his gaze followed her all the way to her desk. "Pick up your books, Ranma. We're studying." 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Ranma ½. though I really wish I did.  
  
Promises Chapter 2  
  
Ranma pointed to a sentence in her book as he leaned over and attempted to read it. "Oh," he said when he had finished. "So the reason why x moves there is so it can be moved again later on?"  
  
"That's right," Akane told him. "If you put it somewhere else, you'd have problems getting rid of that plus sign."  
  
Ranma stared at the problem. "Oh. Okay. I think I get that. Er. . . it seems to make sense, anyway."  
  
"Good!" she exclaimed, slamming his book shoot. "Now you're ready for the test, right, Ranma?"  
  
He reached over and tried to pry the book back open. "No way, Akane. We just started fifteen minutes ago. You promised you'd help me." He tilted his head up toward her, still trying to take the book away from her. "Please?"  
  
Akane let go of the book, and Ranma flew off the chair and onto the floor. "Fine," she said. "Here. I'll make up some problems for you to do, then when you're done we'll go over them. Okay?"  
  
"Fine," Ranma agreed from his seat on the floor, his hands wrapped around the book. No other girl could have held onto something so tightly that when she let go he went soaring. No other girl but Akane was that strong. "You and your brute strength," he mumbled.  
  
Akane's head spun around to face him. "What was that?" she asked, narrowing her eyes into little slits at him. "Did you just say what I think you said?"  
  
"Heh. . ." Ranma smiled as he scratched his head and looked away from her. "N-no. . . I said that you're really cute and. . ." Damn it, he couldn't think of anything to rhyme with strength. He suddenly turned red. Did he just call Akane cute? Out loud!? When he looked back at her, she was staring at him in shock.  
  
"Ranma," she said, her voice soft, but then her eyes clouded over. "You jerk, I heard what you said the first time. Now it's nine days that you have to be nice to me!"  
  
Ranma's face went from pink to red. "This isn't fair!" he told her. "You help me study once, but I can't ever be mean to you or this deal just keeps getting longer and longer!"  
  
Akane folded her arms over her chest and stared ahead. "Listen to yourself, Ranma," she whispered.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Is it really so hard to be nice to me?"  
  
Ranma gulped. It wasn't that he didn't want to be nice to her, it was just that old habits were hard to break. "Um. . ." he mumbled. "I'm really sorry, Akane. I'll try harder from now on, okay?"  
  
When she didn't say anything, he went on, "Hey, I know!" he exclaimed, getting up on his knees and leaning over onto his chair as he stared up at her. "How about if I can be nice to you for a whole day, you'll help me study again?"  
  
She looked down at him. "That wasn't part of the deal."  
  
Ranma sighed. It was worth a shot. "Okay, never mind." He slumped down, resting his chin on his arms. "Hey, let's take a break from studying and go work out in the dojo."  
  
"We've been studying for fifteen minutes," she pointed out.  
  
"Who cares? C'mon." He stood up and waited for her to do the same, but she just sat there looking at him. "I'll let you practice on me," he said, trying to sweeten the deal, but still, she only stared at him.  
  
"Ranma, sit down," she told him. "Let's finish studying."  
  
Defeated, he slumped back down into his seat and waited while she made up some problems for him to complete.  
  
*****  
  
A half hour later, both Ranma and Akane were still caught up in math problems. Akane looked at the last problem on Ranma's sheet of paper and noticed a step that he had missed. "Hey, Ranma, in this one if you move the thirty-six here before you multiply-" but when she looked over at him, he had his head propped up in his hand. . . and his eyes were closed. "Ranma!" she said, giving his arm a shove. It fell out from underneath him and his face fell flat on the desk. "Wake up!"  
  
He popped back up in his seat, looking around. "Oh," he said when his eyes met Akane's. "I didn't fall asleep, did I?"  
  
"How can you expect to study with your eyes closed!?" she yelled at him.  
  
"Uh. . . I was thinking really hard?" he offered.  
  
"Try again."  
  
"Um. . ."  
  
Akane stood up so quickly that her chair scraped against the floor making a screeching sound as it flew backwards. "I'm sick of studying," she announced. "Especially when you can't even pay attention!"  
  
*****  
  
Ranma watched as she stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind herself. He stared at it for a moment until it popped open again, and Akane stuck her head inside the room.  
  
"And get out of my room!" she told him. "I'll come get you when I'm ready to study again."  
  
The door slammed again, harder this time, and Ranma was left blinking in her wake. Some deal this was! He had a study partner who didn't even want to help him, yet he was expected to keep his end of the bargain. How was this fair? If he didn't get studying, he was going to fail the test. . .  
  
Feeling defeated, Ranma threw open the drapes and pulled the window open. He picked up all three of his books, a notebook and a pencil and then climbed out onto the roof that hung over the front door. Akane had told him to get out of her room, but she didn't say he couldn't sit on the roof outside of it. He leaned against the side of the house and propped the books up on his knees. Maybe studying wasn't so hard. If he only had the motivation. . .  
  
*****  
  
He wasn't sure what time it was, but when he opened his eyes, it was no longer light outside. Ranma wondered if he'd missed dinner. The light was still on in Akane's room, casting a glow onto the open book that still rested in his lap. He hadn't looked at one problem since he'd sat down. He was about to get up and climb back inside when he heard someone moving inside Akane's room. The window slid open and Akane's head appeared.  
  
"Hey," she said. "You've been sitting out here the whole time?"  
  
He nodded. "What time is it?"  
  
"Seven. Kasumi says that dinner's almost ready. Why don't you come inside? We'll study after we eat."  
  
"Yeah," Ranma sighed as he stared down at the numbers in his book.  
  
"I'm sorry I yelled at you before," Akane went on, climbing out the window and taking a seat next to him. She pulled the book off of his lap and closed it. "You were right. If you're going to be nice to me, then I should be nice to you, too, right?"  
  
"I guess." He almost jumped when he felt Akane lean in against him.  
  
"You're not still mad at me from before, are you?" she wanted to know. "I mean, it's not your fault that Math is hard for you. Then again, have you ever studied, Ranma?"  
  
He looked over at her from the corner of his eye. "Let's go eat," he mumbled, pushing her shoulder away from his. "C'mon."  
  
**************************** First off, I want to thank those who gave reviews on Chapter one.  
  
Materia-Blade : Thanks for the comment. :) Just curious. . . how are they OOC? The Wielder of the Glaive : No problem, and glad you like the story! If you'd like, I can Beta your next story for you :) I love reading new fiction!  
  
Rockie1, Trinity's back, the cherri ookami and Rokawa : Thanks so much for your comments:) I really appreciate it! Hope you all continue to read!  
  
Hopefully I'll have Chapter three up very soon!! Once again, if anyone has any comments or suggestions, please leave a review!!  
  
-Lori  
  
Fiction and Art 


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